Snapshot: Cumberland Community Church

Website: www.cumberlandchurch.org

Services: 8:30 and 10:30 a.m.

Worship style: Modern/experiential

Average Sunday attendance: 800

Minister: Alan Scott

Denomination affiliation: Independent

Mission statement:

“To love people one at a time, feed people the Word of God, connect people to God through prayer and the worship, and motivate people to serve.” (Acts 2:42-47)

History:

The church was started by four families interested in meeting the needs of unchurched people in North Atlanta and surrounding areas. In the summer of 1986, as they shared this vision with others, the small core grew into a committed church body. Initially called Buckhead Community Church, services were held in homes and then moved to the lower school cafeteria at Pace Academy. Members moved to the current location in 1999, and the name was changed to Cumberland Community Church.

Pastor’s path:

Scott, an Ohio native, has been in ministry 26 years. He’s a graduate of Cincinnati Christian University and a former lead pastor in Indiana and teaching pastor in Colorado before joining the church staff more than five years ago. The pastor is also an author, having written “Miracle in a Cornfield: It’s a God Thing” and the soon-to-be-released “I Quit Being a Christian to Follow Jesus.”

Ministries:

Church leaders made an unusual decision about five years ago: close the church doors four Sundays a year and go out into the community to work. It’s a move that caught on, Scott said. “God has used that," he said, "to be one of our growth engines.”

Initially 400 people would show up to help, working in the community to do cleanup and repair projects in area homes and schools. More than 600 currently participate.

The outreach follows the seasons: In May, members participate in a prayer walk. August is a back-to-school event when backpacks and supplies are given away. In the fall, homes and schools are targeted, and the February/March event is a joint effort with members from other churches in Smyrna.

Argyle Elementary School is one recipient of the hard work of church members who have painted, landscaped and done whatever else was needed.

An after-school tutoring program developed out of the relationship with Argyle. Twice a week, students come to the church for tutoring. Since that program began, students' test scores have risen 50 percent in math and 70 percent in English.

“When I got here, we were pretty white, middle-class -- vanilla. We didn’t reflect the community at all, which is a diverse area with whites, blacks, Asians. As soon as we started going out and being the church, we became more diverse. People started to trust us and see that we care,” Scott said.

“We’re not convinced that a successful church is what most people think, with huge buildings and huge numbers. It’s more about the kingdom and outside the walls.”

Thoughts from the pastor:

“CCC has recently moved from merely going to church to being the church and serving the community. Since intentionally doing this, starting four years ago, Cumberland has become diverse in color, backgrounds, age and socio-economic status. We want to experience a real and nonreligious Jesus inside our walls and take his tangible kingdom to people outside.”